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The event was planned two months ago and is part of the school's Side-by-Side project featuring community members on a variety of social issues.

"Your integrity is so important in law enforcement and just don't forget your mission and that is service," Neil said.

Neil was a Hamilton County Sheriff's deputy in 2001 when there were riots in Cincinnati. He was working in the traffic unit at the time, investigating accidents.

"Any time you have unrest, it's not a fun time. It was, if anything, it was a blessing that we united our communities," Neil said.

Blackwell was a lieutenant with the Columbus Police Department at the time. He remembers the riots and spoke with several Cincinnati police officers he knew personally.

"You have to be ready, and I don't think Baltimore certainly is not ready after last night's events. Ferguson is probably still not ready. There’s still too much finger pointing. People are coming to the table with animosity towards one another," Blackwell said.

Blackwell told WLWT he studied Cincinnati's Collaborative Agreement and how the city slowly pieced together a relationship with police and the community after the civil unrest.

"It's going to take a lot to heal those communities and I'm just prayerful and hopeful that Cincinnati never digresses back to those moments," Blackwell said.

A protest is planned at the Hamilton County Courthouse at 6 p.m. Thursday. The sheriff and chief are both aware of the event and have planned accordingly to properly staff it.

"We're not gearing up for a riot and we're not expecting any type of shenanigans to break out, but we will have adequate resources to address anything that should erupt," Blackwell said.

The two agreed law enforcement agencies must practice transparency to earn trust in the community.

Neil and Blackwell were also asked about their childhood, upbringing and what pushed them to pursue a career in law enforcement. They both spoke candidly about their formative years, including their family and influences at a young age.

Neil grew up in Price Hill on Cincinnati's West Side. He graduated from Western Hills High School in 1976. His father was a Cincinnati police officer and his mother worked for Cincinnati Public Schools as a teacher's aide.

As a child, Blackwell lived in Columbus on the city's North Side. He was raised in a single-parent home by his father, who worked in a steel factory.